Forward

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

From BLO’s rehearsal hall to the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA)
to the Boston Public Library (BPL), Boston
is buzzing with excitement for The
Inspector! Sunday afternoon found composer John Musto in conversation with
Music Director David Angus at the MFA for BLO’s Signature Series, rehearsals began bright and early Monday morning,
and Tuesday evening Stage Director Leon Major joined David Angus at the BPL to
talk about this exciting new adaptation of the Wolf Trap premiere production.

Below, see a video from Sunday’s Signature Series featuring Emerging Artists Meredith Hansen and
Neal Ferreira, along with photos taken in the rehearsal hall by Emerging Artist
Julius Ahn during the cast’s first days working together. All three will perform
in The Inspector; Meredith Hansen and
Neal Ferreira as the young lovers Beatrice and Tancredi, and Julius Ahn as
Padre Ruffiano.

Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes glimpses at The Inspector, onstage at the Citi
Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre April 20 – 29, 2012.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

James MacMillan’s Clemency—a Boston Lyric Opera (BLO)
co-commission with the Royal Opera House, Covent
Garden; Scottish Opera; and Britten Sinfonia—has been nominated for
a Laurence Olivier Award in the category of Best New Opera Production. BLO
presents the American premiere of Clemency
as part of its recently announced
upcoming 2012/2013 Season. The Olivier Awards will be presented during a
ceremony at the Royal Opera House on April 15,
2012.

Clemency is BLO’s 2013 Opera Annex production and will be
performed at the Artists for Humanity EpiCenter February 6–10, 2013. The
libretto, by poet Michael Symmons Roberts, is drawn from the book of Genesis–Abraham and Sarah are childless and nearing the end of their lives. They are
approached by three travelers who share the unexpected and miraculous news that
Sarah will have a child in old age. The mood darkens as it becomes clear that
the travelers are on a mission of vengeance upon the neighboring towns, and
Abraham pleads clemency for their inhabitants.

Widely considered British theatre’s
most sought-after awards, the Olivier Awards were inaugurated in 1976 and are
presented by the Society of West End Theatre.

Monday, March 19, 2012

A very interesting take on the vexing question of "authenticity" and
some points that are quite applicable to thinking about how directors, designers, performers, and opera producing companies
themselves might need to approach the creation of "new work" based on an
existing (and often very well known) piece.

Friday, March 9, 2012

... and so we come to the end of our tour through the wacky world of
Rossini ... now check him out LIVE at the Shubert Theatre ... and you'll see on stage a pretty big version of the portrait above as the Grand
Maestro himself quizzically looks out over his witty and melodious
masterpiece.

... and since we've seen and heard a number of manic and crazed versions
of Rossini in the past weeks I thought we might end on a quieter note.

Looking for a little reading about Rossini to prepare for tonight's opening of The Barber of Seville? Check out a couple of articles about Rossini and Beaumarchais, the dramatist behind The Marriage of Figaro and The Barber of Seville.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

I guess it was inevitable ... you really couldn't in the end celebrate Rossini without the inclusion at least one iteration of this (in)famous duet
(to say nothing of two). And just to complete the Rossinian game playing it
probably isn't by Rossini after all.

Of course Figaro, the footloose barber, goes on to further life roles ... valet to the Count Almaviva (who has in the mean time married ... and been unfaithful to ... Rosina ...). In the second of Beaumarchais' plays (and Mozart's opera) his suspicions towards his boss and his potentially amorous connections to his bride-to-be Susanna brings out the angry revolutionary in him.

In THE GHOSTS of VERSAILLES (partially based on Beaumarchais' third play LA MERE COUPABLE) Figaro dreams ...

Monday, March 5, 2012

Another "Una Voce" ... this one with a true twist. Indeed Joyce
DiDonato thought she had only twisted her ankle after a fall during a
performance of BARBER at Covent Garden and she gamely finished that evening on
crutches. Subsequently, doctors found she had broken her leg. Trouper of the
first magnitude she played out the rest of the performances in a cast (pink)
... twisting, twirling in a wheelchair and managing to sing the hell out of
the role all at the same time.

So many fun and wonderful things have been happening in our rehearsal process since last I wrote.

One of my favorite parts of the rehearsal process is when we first meet up with orchestra. It was such a thrill for me to meet up with the wonderful orchestra twice this week. It is fun to see David Angus be able to bring different colors out of this tremendous orchestra. During our rehearsals we have had the incomparable Allen Perriello at the piano acting as an orchestra. During our final run of the opera in the Tremont Temple rehearsal space on Tuesday, Allen and I had some fun and played the overture in a Piano Duet/4 hand version.

Wednesday John Tessier, Sarah Coburn and myself were on WGBH in honor of Rossini’s birthday. It was fun to sing excerpts from the opera and do some brief interviews. The broadcast is available on the WGBH website.

Thursday was very thrilling at it was our first day in the theater. This is really an exciting time because we get to finally try out all of our staging on the actual set along with props, costumes, and lights. It is pretty magical and really brings a new energy to the process. The theater is really beautiful and it is fun to see it all come together.

It has been a real pleasure to become close with the cast as we have worked together more and more. Everyone is not only talented but really kind and funny. This has been such a pleasure and we are all looking forward to opening night.

This will be a fun debut for me. When I was a composition major in Boston, I saw my first opera ever. It was Don Giovanni at the Boston Lyric Opera during the 00/01 season and now, a decade later, I get to make my debut at the same opera house in a title role! I feel very blessed.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Not for the first time Rossini lifted a piece of one opera and put it
in another (but then again so did another supreme master of the theater--Handel) when he took the Count's last act aria in BARBER and gave it to
heroine of his newer work LA CENERENTOLA--where it has permanently remained.
The BARBER version is sometimes performed but is most often cut (as it is in
BLO's upcoming BARBER.) In the video below Juan Diego Flores discusses and
performs the aria as first written with his usual panache (albeit with, in
my opinion, some lingering unease around the edges)

But the real reason to discuss this is to get a performance by Frederica von Stade onto this blog. She is the best ... a lovely flexible voice, impeccable musicianship ... utterly charming, relaxed, funny but always
full of the deepest humanity and feeling.

So here is that BARBER aria now as the more famous "Naque all'fanno" from
CENERENTOLA.

As for the vision of Rosina in a wheelchair at the beginning of the
Flores video check in tomorrow ... all will be explained.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Gourmet Rossini--a fine slice of echt Italian ham with a
side order of tasty pickled herring followed by (and hoping this metaphor
doesn't totally collapse under the strain) a nice piece of NY
cheesecake.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Some REALLY SERIOUS opera singers (Hotter sang Wagnerian heavies such
as Wotan and the Flying Dutchman ... Warren was famous for malevolent operatic
villains such as Iago and Scarpia) getting in touch with their inner Rossianian
ham. (I think Warren ... here at least ... even looks a little like Rossini).